Apparatus for attaching printing plates to a cylinder



July 23, 1940. c; N. LOWE APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING PRINTING PLATES TO A CYLINDER 4 Sheets-Sheet l Zzverz for? rzlazue,

Filed Dec. 19, 1938 R v 7 n WHHMHHHHUHHHHHH A H HHHUH H w 1- I\ Q nw bx .mN m

July 23,1940. c. N. LOWE 2209,12?

APPARATUS FOR ATTACH'QING PRINTING PLATES TO A CYLINDER Filed Dec. 19, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 23, 1940. c. -N. LOWE 2,209,127 APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING PRINTING PLATES TO A CYLINDER Filed Dec. 19, 1958 4 Sheefs-Shqet a 1720372507? Czarieonfl iwiorzlowe,

July 23, 1940. c. N. LOWE APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING PRINTING PLATES TO A CYLINDER 7 Filed Dec. 19, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I I .4 l

Patented July 23, 1940 ssoaizr srrsns'rus ron sr'raonmo rnmrmo rns'rss To a uynmnnn v Charles Newton use, Cleveland, Ohio, to United Autographic ltegister 00., a eorpora-' Application 19,1933, Serial s... 246.896 7 10 Claims- (61. ion-41m) This invention relates to improved means for attaching" resilient printing plates to a cylinder.

The primaryobiect. oi the invention is to provide; a simple. method and apparatus for quicklyattaching or detaching flexible printing plates to a printingcylinder oi a press, in properly stretched and aligned position without the use pi clamping plates, screws. orfthe like.

The present application is a continuation in 210 part of my patent application Serial No. 160.313, iiled August 21, 1937, relating to Apparatus forattachingprintins Pl tes-to a cylinder. I

The invention :is illustrated in ai ft erred' embodiment. in the WWW m d Fig. us a broken plan-view or a printingcyl inder equipped with printing plates which di -which:-

' attached in accordance with the presentin'vem' tion; Fig. 2. an elevational 'view oi the ame;

Fig. 3, a-iragmentary sectional view,- on an enlarged scale, taken as indicated at line 3 of Fig.

i; Fig. '4, a broken plan view of a plate-holding.

bar; 5, a broken elevaidonal view oithe same; Fig. 6, a broken plan view oia tool used j in attaching and detaching the plates; Fig. ,7, a broken elevational view of the same; Fig. 8, an .enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing how the end of the printing plate is forced into interlocking relation with the recesses by means a of a tool; Fig. 9, a broken plan view of a flexible printing plate; Fig. 10. .an end elevational view oi the same; Fig. 11, a view similar to Fig. 2 wherein the plates are attached to the printing cylinder by a slightly modified fastening means; Fig. 12, a fragmentary sectional view, on an en-. larged scale, of the modified form of fastening tor a plate attached to acylinder; and Fig. 13, a broken end elevational view of the'iastening leg illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. .1-3, inclusive, mounted on a A; B, a plate-sholding'bar mounted in axiaiQslots. provided in the printing cylinder A; and C, a resilient printing plate rea. movably secured to the cylinder.

Theprlnting. cylinder may be of any desired size and is shown keyed to the driving shaft A in the well known manner. In order to have a better understanding the relative proportion of the various parts, it may be stated that in the embodiment illustrated the cylinder Ahas adiameter of 8 inches. Its periphery is provided with a seriesoi axially extending slots 1 I whose upper side walls are radial oi the cylinder to facilitate insertion oi the plate-holding bar 3. The Tots A" designates a printing cylinder,

:ihown are approximately V 01 an inch in depth an d%oianlnchinwidth.'

The plate-holding bar B has an enlarged base portion 12 adapted-to iit snugly in the bottom 0! the slot 11 and has a T-shaped head portion' 6 '11 whose undercuts it provide recesses within which ends of the vplates may be interlocked. Preferably, the bars havecut-away portions 15 to provide space ior'the heads 0! machine screws ll which'extend through apertures I l into tapped -l0 .holes I. provided in the cylinder.

In making up the cylinder the plate-holding members are secured in the slots and the top oi. the heads are ground'in placeso as. to form: segments in the peripheral .line of the cylinder. Thus if a 15 printing plate of double length is used, it may bridge the slot and receive proper support irom the otherwise unused plate-holding member.

The printing plate 0 comprises a resilient metallic mounting plate of sheet metal ll, preier- 'go ably brass, oi appro ately ,6 oian inchin thickness. A rubber co pression surface it, ap-

proximately A of an inch in thickness, is vulcanized to the top face of the metal. The'end portions of the plate are bent downwardly and 2s upwardly so that the legs '2! and 22 form an angle or approximately 80. The upwardly extending leg 22 is shorter than the leg 2| so that it may properly interlock beneath the head ll.

As will be readily apparent the plates must be 0 accurately made to. fit the spacing oi, the plateholdlng members. Preferably, the corner portions of the legs '22 are bent inwardly, as indi- .cated'at a, to facilitate insertion of a tool.

In Figs; 0, v, and s is shown a hand tool which is very useful in mounting and dismounting the plates. It comprises a thin blade 24 of spring steel, approximately A of an inch in thickness, and has a suitable wooden handle 25.

In order tomount one of the plates on. the 40 cylinder it is merely necessary to insert the blade II in one of the V-shaped end portions or the plate and force it into one 01 therecesses ll.

- The end portion of the plate is sufllciently resilient to permit this movement and will form an interlocflng' connection with the recess.

The plate is then around'the cylinder and the oppositev end forced into the proper recess by 'nieansiof blade. This results in interlockin connectiOn-wlthboth ends and the plate will not become loceeiiwhenfthe printing device is operating.; lwhenit is desired to remove the plate, the bladedllgis inserted between the inturned corner 28 and the sidewall oi. the plate-holdin: member so that the blade may be slid along 2 V t v 5 5127 between the leg I! and the bar. This action will enable the plate to be lifted out of the slot and the opposite end maybe disconnected in the same 5 In Figs. 11, 12, and 13 is illustrated a modified form of fastening device which has been found thoroughly satisfactory in operation. In this form, metallic mounting'plates 26 are provided at their opposite end portions with a down- I. wardly extending leg 21 from which are struck ofiset upwardly extending legs 28 which are.re--

silient and biased so as to engage imder the head 2! of the plate-holding bar which is securedv to the cylinder Si by means of screws 3|.

ll One advantage of the-modified construction is in the fact that'less clearance is required between the head 28 and the side walls of the slot in the ,cylinder, topermit insertion of the fastening leg. This enables more of the periphery of the cylin- 20 der to be utilized as a printing surface. In atjtaching a plate of this character the leg 21 is forced down into the slot, and, in the same manner as with the first described type of fastener,. the plates 256 are tensioned and drawn a -tightly about the cylinder. To remove the plates, .the nose of'a tool is inserted to force the arms 28 from beneath the overhangin shoulder of the head 29. v I As indicated above, it is essential that the fibjplates accurately fit the spacing of the platehol members. In practice it has been found convenient to vulcanize printing plates to metal backing plates before forming the attaching legs .on the ends ofthe backing plate,

As will be readily understoodone printing plate may embrace-an entire cylinder or a plurality of independent plates may be mounted so v adapted to be forced into said slotto snap the as to operate during each revolution of the cylinder. Also, as will be understood by reference to G l, a lateral series of independent. plates may bemcunted on the same roll.

' The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and

no unnecessary limitations should be understood 6 therefrom, but'the appended claims should be construed as broadly aspe'rmlssibie, in view of the prior art.

I laim:

-i. A printing device comprising:- a cylinder provided in its periphery with an axially extend ing slot afiording an undercut recess having. an

"overhanging fixed shoulder; and a resilient printing plate fiexed and tensioned about a portion of said cylinder and anchored thereto, at

5 least. one end of said plate having -a downwardly extending leg provided with an upwardly extend-' ing resilient' arm adapted to be forced into said slot to snap the upper end of said arm under the lower face of said fixed shoulder and forms.

'0 locked connection therewith.

2. 'A device as specified in claim 1, in which. a

plate-holding bar having an undercut head is removably mounted in the slot to provide the undercutrecessand fixed shoulder. C5 3. A device as specified in'claim l, in which the toolbetwe'en the shoulders.

'sidewallsoftheslotaresubstantiallyradialof the cylinder and a plate-holding bar having a 'T-s'haped head is secured in said slot to provide a pair of undercut recesses and fixed shoulders.

4. A device asspecified in claim 1, in which a plate-holding bar having an undercut head i is mounted in the slot to provide the undercut recess, the top of said head being curved circumferentially of the cylinder and forming a segment 1 of its periphery.

5. A printing device comprising: a cylinder ll provided in its periphery with an axially disposed slot; a plate-holding bar having a T-shaped head fixed in said slot to provide undercut recesses; and a. resilient printing plate flexed and tensioned about said cylinder, the ends of said plate being ll turned downwardly and upwardly to form V- shaped resilient fastening members adapted to be forced into the recesses and interlock with said' head to hold the plate on the cylinder.

6.' A device as specified in claim 5, in which the 3 corner portions of the fastening members are biased inwardly to facilitate insertiim of the plate removing tool. g

7. A device as specified in claim 5, in which the plate-holding barhas sections of its head all 1 extending leg which is slotted to provide a plu rality of offset, upwardly extending, resilient arms upper ends of said arms under the lower face of said fixed shoulder and form a locked connection 0 therewith. g I 1 9. A mounting for printing plates comprising; a thin resilient metallic plate to which a prinfi fl plate may be attached, said plate having on its opposite end portions beneath the faceof the a plate, a downwardly extending leg provided with an upwardly extending, resilient arm adapted to be forced into a slot in a printing cylinder and-be snapped beneath an overhanging fixed shoulder Y in said slot so as to tension. the plate around the I cylinder and interlock it thereto. f 10. A mounting for printing plates comprising:

a thin-resilient metallic plate to which a printing plate 'may be'attached, said plate having its opposite end portions bent sharply downwardly and upwardly to form resilient V-shaped fasteners having a free continuous resilient lip disposed beneath the face of the plate and adapted to snap beneath overhanging fixed shoulders in "axially extending slots provided in a printing '0 cylinder, a corner portion of said resilient lips being biased inwardly to facilitate-insertion of a lips and overhanging fixed NEWTONLOWE.. U 

